I ran, not to rip the joey away from its mother, but from fear she might attack me,” Sam Jones, who also uses the name Samantha Strable, posted on social media.

The influencer apologized for the "distress" she caused before calling out the Australian government for its anti-wombat policies.

A video of the online influencer snatching the joey from the side of its mother drew calls for her to be deported. She left the country Friday.